Finding out about lead levels in Chicago water

Ellen Gabler

In the Chicago Tribune this week, you’ll find another story about lead in water. It’s an update on a previous story that explained how regulators are worried that current testing methods inaccurately screen for lead -- a toxic metal that is extremely bad for developing brains and also bad for the cardiovascular health of adults.

I was able to get a copy of the results by requesting the document under the Freedom of Information Act. I knew there was a story there as soon as I saw the spreadsheet documenting lead levels found in water.

Nationwide, utilities screen for lead by taking the first liter of water from a homeowner’s faucet. The testing results showed relatively low lead levels in that first liter of water for each home. But after the first liter, lead levels kept rising.

The results gave credence to the concern that current testing methods don’t accurately gauge how much lead is in our drinking water.

I also wrote a sidebar to go along with the story after talking with one of my friends about what I was working on. He asked if those popular filtering pitchers, like Brita and PUR, remove lead.

I didn’t know, but I told him I’d find out. One of our editors here was sure that they did, because she remembers buying a pitcher and filters specifically because it could reduce lead.